New pattern, Happy Go Lucky!

Sometimes I meet myself in the middle and get some things done here in my studio....other than making quilts,  I mean.  Writing patterns takes me forever,  I would much rather design and sew.  To make writing more difficult, I dropped my laptop and now the I key sticks!  So on to the fun stuff!

Happy Go Lucky is my newest quilt.  Beginners and seasoned quilters will have fun making the classic quilt blocks in a variety of sizes.  It is 44" x 50", making it perfect for a toddler or a baby quilt.  Make it into a throw by adding a larger border.  The quilt pictured is made with fabric provided by Island Batik aptly named Pet Zoo.  Love the bold, bright colors, and the subtle jungle animals!

Happy Go Lucky

I quilted it on my domestic Janome 7500 with a simple wavy line plaid, a quick and easy to do pattern using the walking foot.  

This pattern will be on sale until the 4th of July on Craftsy for $5.00.  Then it will go up to $9.00.  You know you have to have it!  It will be a fun project for the lazy days of summer!

Stay cool!

Sharon

Linking to: Moving it Forward
                  FreeMotion on the River
                  Lets Bee Social 
                  Midweek Makers

Playful Pillows

This month, Island Batik challenged its Ambassadors to create a fun, playful pillow with some of their fabric which they so kindly send to us.  I'm still loving Spring Blossoms, so I created a pillow to go with the quilt I had made with it.

It looks like I am ready to cuddle up with a good book!  

 English Paper Piecing is a favorite method for me.  Its a great way to relax out on the deck or while binging on Netflix. I can also sit on a heat pad or ice pace for my back pain. (that's another story) This design used 1 inch diamonds.  Once the star was completed, I pressed it and then removed all of the paper pieces so that I could hand applique it to the background piece.  

Big stitch hand quilting is a great way to finish up a little project like this...

once again...its portable! 

The edge of the pillow is finished off with binding.  I like the contrast of a binding, and it's a super easy to finish a pillow. 

I love to make  pillows, so I do have another one started and I hope to share it with you soon. Last summer I made a cat pillow, and I have a couple more started.  They will get finished soon I hope!  These crazy cats are wanting to get on the bed!  

Today, I hope to finish writing at least 2 new patterns if not 3!  Wish me luck!  Have a great week....what are you working on this week?

grace and peace.....Sharon and Bella the Yellow Cat

Hate and Love cannot exist in the same space.

Vintage Quilts Inspiring New Creations

It was hard to pick a block or vintage quilt this project.  I am inspired by every vintage quilt I see!  I wonder what was happening in the quilt-maker's life at the time she made this quilt, what was happening in the world?  If quilts could talk, think of the stories they could tell.  The Variable Star block and the Schoolhouse block were the two blocks I decided to use in my quilt.

From an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Within These Walls.

Much like our Christmas Crafts Bazaars, Northern women who opposed slavery raised money for the cause through Anti-Slavery Fairs.  This little cradle quilt, made of small Northern Stars is one of the items sold at such a fair. This simple star is one of the oldest patchwork patterns, and has been published by many names....Evening Star, Aunt Liza's Star, and Saw-tooth Star. This is one of my favorite blocks to make in any quilt.

This poem was hand inked in the center star of the quilt.

 “Mother! When around your child

You clasp your arms in love,

And when with grateful joy you raise

Your eyes to God above—

Think of the negro mother,

When her child is torn away—

Sold for a little slave—Oh, then,

For that poor mother pray.”

We know that the early settlers traveled west for a better life, and education was a part of the quest for a better life. The school house and the church were probably one of the first public buildings built in a new settlement. The schoolhouse block was usually a variation of a school house or a church.  According to the International Quilt Study Center in Nebraska, schoolhouse quilts were popular in the late 19th century and continued into the 1920's and 1930's.   "For rural women of the late nineteenth century, teaching was both the most prestigious and the highest paying opportunity available to them. The Schoolhouse pattern, which became popular at the same time, may reflect the lives of the many women who helped support their families through teaching positions, prior to their marriage."

My quilt measures  40" x 46".  The sawtooth blocks are 6" finished and the schoolhouse block is 12" finished.  I paper pieced the schoolhouse block for greater accuracy, as when I put the block into EQ8, I did not like the rotary cutting measurements it gave me.  I don't do 1/16".....at all.  Paper piecing saved the day!

Island Batik provided me with the beautiful line of fabric, Blue Moon.  I'm thinking of adding a crescent moon and calling it "Once in a Blue Moon".....what do you think?  Hobbs Batting provided my favorite batting to use, Heirloom Premium 80/20 Cotton batting.  I love the way it gives my quilt the flatter, traditional look of antique quilts.  Since I use my domestic sewing machine, it is much less bulk to move through the harp of the machine, and easier on my back.  I used my walking foot and created a "hash-tag" quilting. That strip of blue you see on the right hand side is painters tape.  I like to use it to mark my lines.   The blue thread was provided by Aurifil ....looks great on this quilt.  

Do you have a favorite vintage quilt or quilt block? 

A New Technique for me

The challenge for our March Island Batik process was to try a technique that is new to me.  It was hard to find something that I have not attempted to do, but then I remembered that I wanted to learn to use a Quick Curve Ruler by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I purchased both rulers and decided to use the larger one to make a table runner.

When you purchase the rulers, there is a project sheet included with great directions on how to use this ruler.  It was so easy!  I chose some yummy Island Batik fat-quarters from the Spring Bloom
collection provided to me by Island Batik.




I quickly cut out the pieces as shown above, and laid them out next to my sewing machine.

The blocks were sewn up in no time at all....and without using pins!

Laid the blocks out, sewed them together and had a table runner in no time at all!

It looks great on my table with the daffodils I managed to save from Mother Nature's joke on us.  We just came back from wintering in South Texas....and it is very cold and snowing here!

I have to brag about my sweet little bunny rabbit...my 13 year old grandson loves to make things and he made this adorable bunny for me.  I love it!

Although I love wintering in South Texas, I am so happy to be home.  I missed my grand-kids and my sewing room.  So....its cold outside and I plan to hibernate in my sewing room today!  What are you doing?  Hope you are having some good creative sewing time today.....

grace and peace....Sharon

Oh...and Bella is happy to be home again...her house has stopped moving!

Linking to: MAIN CRUSH MONDAYS

The twins are here!

So...a friend from high school contacted me when she found out she was going to be a Grandmother, and asked me to create a quilt for her new grandchild.  The new parents are decorating the nursery with an underwater theme.  So of course I had to say yes!

A few weeks later I received a picture of the sonogram.....and there were two little beans in the sonogram. So we needed two quilts!

And here they are....just in time for the boys to arrive! 

It was so much fun to make these quilts! 

Island Batik Ambassador Mini-Love Quilt

February has gone in a flash for me!  What about you?  The end of the month sort of snuck up on me!

This month, Island Batik challenged the Ambassadors to create a mini-love quilt.  I decided to use the beautiful pinks and reds provided by Island Batik to create this little heart quilt.  We are on Winter Holiday and it has been hard to find my mojo and sewing time.  The beach is calling!  But we have had some not so great weather here in South Texas, so I have been forced to stay inside.  I decided to use that time to hand quilt my little quilt and binge on Homeland.  The other reason I hand quilted is because I left my walking foot at home!  I ordered another one, and unfortunately it did not get here in time.  The tales of a RV traveling quilter!  And the 40 mile an hour winds the past few days have not been conducive to taking a picture! So bear with me....

Here at the RV park we have quilting on Wednesday afternoon....so, I think I will go and get a head start on my March project!  I bought a Sew Kind of Wonderful ruler and decided to give that a try  Curves are not my thing...but I love the look of curves in a quilt.

I am happy with how this turned out...stay tuned for a tutorial in the next few days.  This is nice and simple. 

Grace and peace....Sharon

Linking to: 

Island Batik box of goodness!

Last week the Fed Ex guy was highly sought after all over by women waiting for a 22 pound box of fabric from Island Batik.  If only he knew...right?  It's like Christmas, but even better in my opinion.

“The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik.” 

The box of goodness included fabric from Island Batik, batting from Hobbs Batting, and thread from Aurifil...wow!  See what I mean?  Better than Christmas!  I pulled out the beautiful pinks and reds for my Mini-Love project and I hope to share with you soon.  I'm having a hard time deciding what to create.

This year I am proud to be an Island Batik Ambassador again.  This is my second year.  I had so much fun last year, and I am thrilled to be chosen to represent Island Batik again.  Sewing with their fabric is a delight.  The fabric are designed by their lead designer, Kathy Engle, along with additional fabric artists and designers.  All of the fabrics are handmade in Bali by skilled artisians.  Every yard of fabric is created using a wax resist method, and laid out in the sun to dry. 

Check back to see my mini-Love project! Several of the other Ambassadors are quick and have started to post their projects, so check them out here:

Island Batik Ambassadors

Alison at Little Bunny Quilts

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy

Anita at Quilt in a not-Shell

Anna at Ark Angel Creations

Anne at Sweetgrass Designs

Barbara at Bejeweled Quilts

Bea at BeaQuilter

Carole at Carole Lyles Shaw

Connie at Freemotion by the River

Connie at Kauffman Designs

Dione at Clever Chameleon

Geraldine at Living Water Quilter

Jackie at If These Threads Could Talk

Janet at Whispers of Yore

Jeanette at Inchworm Fabrics

Jen at Patterns by Jen

Jennifer at Curlicue Creations

Jennifer at Dizzy Quilter

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter

Jessica at Desert Bloom Quilting (you are here!)

Joan at Moosestash Quilting

Joyce at heARTs Creations

Karen at Sew Karen-ly Created

Karen at The Quilt Rambler

Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing

Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts 

Leanne at Devoted Quilter

Mania at Mania for Quilts

Maryellen at Mary Mack Made Mine

Michelle at Creative Blonde

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts

Nancy at Masterpiece Quilting

Pamela at PamelaQuilts

Sally at Sally Manke

Sandra at MMM Quilts

Sarah at Sarah Goer Quilts

Sharon at Yellow Cat Quilt Designs

Sherry at Powered by Quilting

Stephanie at Steph Jacobson

Suzy at Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Teri at Lizard Creek Quilts

Tina at Quilting Affection Designs

Toby at Gateway Quilts & Stuff

Turid at Den Syende Himmel

Vicki at Vicki's Crafts & Quilting

I'm a bit slow, because I am on Winter Holiday for 3 months in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas...I miss my sewing room!  Sewing in an RV is not impossible, but a challenge at times!

grace and peace....
Sharon